Machine for clamping bundles of tobacco leaves in the peripheral gaps of a supporting member



H. BISE ETI'AL 3,151,748 momma; FOR CLAMPING BUNDLES OF TOBACCO LEAVES Oct. 6, 1964 IN THE PERIPHERAL GAPS OF A SUPPORTING MEMBER Filed June 24, 1963 4 Sheets-Sheet l a s R 0d. 6, 1964 5155 ETAL 3,151,748

MACHINE FOR CLAMPING BUNDLES OF TOBACCO LEAVES IN THE PERIPHERAL GAPS OF A SUPPORTING MEMBER Filed June 24, 1963 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 0a. a, 1964' H BISE ETAL 3,151,742;

MACHINE FOR CLAMPENG BUNDLES 0F TOBACCO LEAVES IN THE PERIPHERAL GAPS OF A SUPPORTING MEMBER Filed June 24, 1963 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 H. BISE ETAL MACHINE FOR CLAMPING BUNDLES OF TOBACCO LEAVES IN THE PERIPHERAL GAPS OF A SUPPORTING MEMBER Filed June 24, 1963 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 United States Patent MACHINE FGR CLANIPING BUNDLES 0F TGBAC- C0 LEAVES Bl THE PEREFERAL GARS 9F A SUPPGRTING MEMBER Henri Bise and Jean-Jacques Weber, Payerne, Vaud, Switzerland, assignors to Fermenta S.A., Payerne, Vaud, Switzerland, a corporation of Switzerland Filed June 24, 1963, Ser. No. 289,854 Claims priority, application Switzerland June 26, 1962 16 Claims. (Cl. 214-55) The present invention generally relates to an improved machine for the clamping or holding of bundles or clusters of tobacco leaves in the peripheral spaces or gaps of a supporting member.

The tobacco leaves which are destined or determined to be subjected to a fermentation treatment were previously handled in bundle leaf-form which resulted in considerable losses. These losses could be reduced to a considerable extent by the use of the supporting device proposed by the present assignee in its Swiss Patent 351,530. This patent discloses as a main feature or principal portion thereof a supporting frame provided with peripheral gaps or spaces.

The primary object of the present invention is to provide an improved machine for the holding or clamping of tobacco leaf bundles in the uniformly spaced peripheral gaps or spaces of a supporting frame.

In accordance with the present invention, the inventive machine is manifested by the provision of an endless conveyor band or belt which is guided around a drum and travels with a uniform speed of movement, and a toothed disk or gear provided with pointed or sharp teeth arranged at one frontal face of the drum mounted for rotation with said drum, with the base circle of said teeth lying at least on approximately the same circle as the external covering or generated surface of the drum. Additionally, first means are provided which introduce the tobacco leaves supplied by the conveyor belt, in bundle or bunch form into the spaces or gaps between the aforesaid pointed teeth and then retain such tobacco leaves in these gaps during the time that such gaps move through approximately one-half of their circular path of travel, and second means which advance a supporting frame with the same speed as the peripheral speed of the teeth at their pitch circle and ensure that the tooth spaces or gaps of the supporting frame in the region of the toothed disk temporarily overlap or align with the tooth spaces or gaps of the aforesaid toothed disk in such a manner that, the tobacco leaves can be clamped with their stems in cluster or bundle form in the tooth gaps of the supporting frame. The apparatus of the present invention also provides third means which force the thus seized or clamped tobacco leaves to remain in the tooth gaps of the supporting frame and to emerge from the departing tooth gaps of the toothed disk, as well as a receiving table for supporting the arriving supporting frames and the tobacco leaves fixedly clamped to the latter. The supporting frames which are employed in the apparatus of the present invention are identical to those which comprise the main features of the heretofore intially mentioned supporting device.

Further objects and the entire scope of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description given hereinafter; it should be understood, however, that the detailed description and specific example, while indicating a preferred embodiment of the invention, is given by way of illustration only, since various changes and modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a front elevational view of a machine of ice the type described designed according to the present invention;

FIGURE la is a front elevational view of the righthand portion of the machine depicted in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 2 is a top plan view of the machine illustrated in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 2a is a top plan view of the portion of the machine illustrated in FIGURE la;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged, cross-sectional view of the machine depicted in FIGURE 1, taken along lines Ill-D1 thereof; and

FIGURE 4 is a cross-sectional view of a supporting frame at which a bundle or bunch of tobacco leaves are clamped.

Referring now to the drawings, the machine illustrated therein comprises a frame 1 formed as a welded structure or construction. An endless transport device, advantageously in the form of a conveyor belt or band 2 is guided about a drum 3 which is driven by an electric motor 4 through the agency of a reduction gearing 5, a chain drive 6, a friction overload clutch 1, a chain drive 8 and a shaft 9 rotating at a constant or uniform speed. As a result, the conveyor band 2 travels with a corresponding uniform speed, whereby said conveyor band is guided over an empty rotating drum it) and past supporting or guide rollers 11 (see FIGURE 1a). The upper strip or band portion of the conveyor band 2 moves over and past a planked or board base 12 disposed between two marginal or side boards 13, as best seen by referring to FIGURE 2a. At the forward end of the machine i.e., at the right side of FIGURES 1a and 2a, the upper strip of the conveyor band 2 moves beneath a planked or board base 14.

A toothed disk or gear 15 is situated at the one frontal side of the drum 3, to the latter of which said toothed disk is mounted for rotation. The toothed disk 15 possesses a brim or crown of pointed teeth 15a having tooth spaces or gaps 15b therebetween. Advantageously, there is provided first means which cooperate With the pointed teeth 15a in order to guide and clamp the tobacco leaves supplied by the conveyor band 2 in the spaces or gaps 15!; disposed between the teeth 15a, and to retain said tobacco leaves in these tooth gaps 1512 during such time as the aforesaid gaps travel through approximately one-half of their circular path. These first means embody a disk member 16 which is supported upon a shaft 17 driven by the shaft 9 through the intermediary of a chain drive 18, and a gear wheel drive 19, 20 (see FIGURE 1).

Additionally, such first means further comprise a shoe member 21 (FIGURE 1) which is mounted to a vertical portion 23a (FIGURE 3) of a support member 23 through the agency of two guide rods 22. The support member 23 is secured to the frame 1 by means of threaded bolts 24 which also serve to connect to the frame 1 an axle journal 25 carrying the gear wheel 19. The shoe member 21 is loaded by a spring 21a or similar expedient which is arranged directly above the toothed disk 15 and is brought into vibrational movement by means of a small motor 26 through the agency of an eccentric mechanism 27, 23. Finally, the first means include two rigid rods 29 which are secured to the frame 1 and extend along lines which are disposed at one and the other side of the path of travel of the points of the teeth 15a which are located at the previously mentioned onehalf of the periphery of the drum 3. These curved rods 29 thus extend along opposite faces of the toothed disk 15 from approximately the point of infeed of the tobacco leaves into the spaces 15b of said toothed disk to approximately the point of departure of said tobacco leaves from said spaces.

In the drawings there is illustrated a sequence of three supporting frames A, B, and C, each of which provide the main portion of a supporting device which, as mentioned at the outset, are provided for carrying a number of tobacco leaf clusters or bunches. Each of these tooth or rack-like supporting frames A, B, and C, the profile of which is best seen by an inspection of FIGURE 4, is provided with a shank or leg portion 341 of tooth-like configuration in which peripheral gaps or spaces 31 are arranged at a uniform spacing from one another.

The machine of the present invention is further advantageously provided with second means which serve to guide and advance or feed these supporting frames A, B, and C. These second means comprise a specific number of small rollers 32, 33, 34, 35, 36 and 37 which are mounted to be freely rotatable on the frame 1, a feeding or advancing drum 38, an arm 39 secured to the frame 1 (see FIGURE 2), a pressure roller 42) mounted to this arm 39 which acts from above downwardly upon the small legs 30a of the momentarily passing supporting frames A, B and C, and a gear 41 which is provided to engage with the peripheral tooth gaps or spaces 31 of such rack-like supporting frame A, B or C to forcibly advance such supporting frame at a speed which is of the same magnitude as the peripheral speed or velocity of the teeth a on the pitch circle of the toothed disk 15 and, indeed, in such a manner that, these peripheral tooth gaps 31 come into momentary overlapping relation with the tooth gaps 15b of such toothed disk 15. The drive for the gear 41 occurs from the gear 19 through the agency of a chain drive 42 and a shaft 43, the latter of which also serves to drive the advancing or feed roller 38 by means of a chain drive 44 and a gear drive 45, 46.

The machine of the invention further exhibits third means which force the tobacco leaves clamped in the peripheral gaps or spaces of a toothed, rack-like supporting frame A, B or C to remain in these spaces and to emerge from the departing tooth gaps 15b of the toothed disk 15 when such tooth gaps move away from the peripheral spaces 31 of the corresponding supporting frame. The third means are provided with at least one rod 48 which is not too stiff and is connected to the frame 1, and which extends in a plane which is situated approximately adjacent the plane of the outermost frontal surface of the toothed disk 15. This rod 48 has a curved or bent portion 48a which merges with a linear portion 48b near the location at which the pointed teeth 15a of the toothed disk 15 overlie the teeth of the supporting frame B, as best ascertained by reference to FIGURE 1 I Finally, there is associated with the aforedescribed machine a receiving table 47 which, for the most part, consists of a flat tin plate which, however, in the region of that portion of the lower strip of the conveyor or transport band 2 extending from the drum 3 up to approximately the first guide or support roller 11, is somewhat displaced in downward direction, as best shown in FIG- URE 1.

The mode of operation of the heretofore described apparatus is as follows: A first worker or machine operator places the tobacco leaves upon the planked or board base 14 and thereafter pushes them onto the transport or conveyor band 2. Two other workers then arrange the tobacco leaves on the conveyor band 2 such that they extend transverse to the direction of movement of the aforesaid conveyor band and between the side boards 13, whereby the stems of such tobacco leaves are directed towards that board member of both of these board members 13 which is situated closer to the toothed disk 15. As soon as the thus arranged tobacco leaves arrive in the operating zone of the disk 16 and the shoe 21 they are forced by these two members to be inserted by means of their stems into the tooth gaps 15b of the toothed disk 15. In this manner, there results the formation of clusters or bunches of tobacco leaves. Thereafter, the leaf stems inserted into the tooth gaps 15b are held in these tooth gaps by means of the rods 29, during which time the entire leaves together with the conveyor band 2 pass through one-half of the periphery of the drum 3. Advantageously, and as a helping measure, a flexible steel band 49 or the like is stationarily arranged in order to maintain the previously arranged tobacco leaves properly oriented during completion of this portion of their path of travel through the machine. Afterwards, the stems of the tobacco leaves are introduced into those peripheral spaces or gaps 31 of the corresponding supporting frame which are located in overlapping relation or alignment with the tooth gaps 15b of the toothed disk 15. Thereafter, these stems are forced to remain in these peripheral spaces or gaps 31 by means of the rod 48 when such peripheral spaces 31 are distanced or moved away from the tooth gaps 15b.

A supporting frame C provided in the aforedescribed manner with a large number of tobacco leaf clusters or bunches is displaced forwardly by the following or next successive supporting frame B, whereby such supporting frame together with the tobacco leaves fixedly clamped therein slides over the receiving table 47. As soon as the forwardmost end of the supporting frame C impinges against a slot 50, secured to the receiving table 47 and possessing the inclination shown in plan view in FIGURE 2a, then such supporting frame C is deflected in order to be able to be grasped by a worker. Such worker or machine operator then places a spring rod 51 (see FIGURE 4) beneath a hook 52 of the corresponding supporting frame, so that the tobaco leaf clusters or bunches are positively retained in the peripheral gaps or spaces. This same worker, and possibly one other, then removes the supporting frame loaded in the aforedescribed manner with the tobacco leaves. A switch 151 is preferably provided which is adapted to bring the machine to standstill as soon as the supporting frame C abuts against a feeler pin 152 of such switch in order to prevent the ejection of a loaded supporting frame D which may still be located upon the receiving table 47.

The peripheral speed or velocity of the feed roller 38 is advantageously slightly larger than the advancing speed of the supporting frame B located is meshing relation or engagement with the feed gear wheel 41. The worker which applies the unfilled supporting frames A to the machine should take care that each applied supporting frame is deposited from the outset without a space behind the supporting frame B, but a possible formed space is automatically closed due to the above-mentioned speed excess of the feed roller 38.

While there is shown and described a present preferred embodiment of the invention, it is to be distinctly understood that the invention is not limited thereto but may be otherwise variously embodied and practised within the scope of the following claims.

Having thus described the present invention, what is desired to be secured by United States Letters Patent, is:

1. Machine for clamping tobacco leaves in the receiving gaps of a supporting frame comprising, transport means for conveying tobacco leaves, drive means for imparting a substantially uniform speed of movement to said transport means, a toothed disk mounted for rotation, said toothed disk including a plurality of spaced teeth providing a respective space between any two adjacent teeth adapted to receive therein tobacco leaves conveyed by said transport means, first means positioned to cooperate with said toothed disk for introducing tobacco leaves conveyed by said transport means into said spaces of said toothed disk and holding such tobacco leaves therein during such time as these tobacco leaf filled spaces move through approximately one-half of their circular path, second means for feeding each of the supporting frames in the direction of said toothed disk at a speed such that the receiving gaps of a supporting frame come into momentary alignment with said spaces of said toothed disk to permit tobacco leaves to freely move from said spaces of said toothed disk into said receiving gaps of said supporting frame, third means for urging the tobacco leaves to remain in said receiving gaps of said supporting frame and to emerge from the departing spaces of said toothed disk.

2. Machine for clamping clusters of tobacco leaves in the uniformly spaced peripheral gaps of a toothed, racklike supporting frame comprising, transport means for conveying tobacco leaves, drive means for imparting a substantially uniform speed of movement to said transport means, a toothed disk mounted for rotation, said toothed disk including a plurality of spaced teeth providing a respective space between any two adjacent teeth adapted to receive therein a cluster of tobacco leaves conveyed by said transport means, first means positioned to cooperate with said toothed disk for introducing tobacco leaves conveyed by said transport means into said spaces of said toothed disk and holding such tobacco leaves therein during such time as these tobacco leaf filled spaces move through approximately one-half of their circular path, second means for feeding each of the rack-like supporting frames in the direction of said toothed disk at a speed such that the peripheral gaps of a supporting frame come into momentary alignment with said spaces of said toothed disk to permit clusters of tobacco leaves to freely move from said spaces of said toothed disk into said peripheral gaps of said supporting frame, third means for forcing the tobacco leaves to remain in said peripheral gaps of said supporting frame and to emerge from the departing spaces of said toothed disk, and a receiving table for supporting incoming supporting frames carrying clusters of tobacco leaves.

3. Machine for clamping clusters of tobacco leaves in the uniformly spaced peripheral gaps of a toothed, racklike supporting frame comprising, transport means for conveying tobacco leaves, drive means for imparting a substantially uniform speed of movement to said transport means, a toothed disk mounted for rotation by said drive means, said toothed disk including a plurality of spaced teeth providing a respective space between any two adjacent teeth adapted to receive therein a cluster of tobacco leaves conveyed by said transport means, first means positioned to cooperate with said toothed disk for introducing tobacco leaves conveyed by said transport means into said spaces of said toothed disk and holding such tobacco leaves therein during such time as these tobacco leaf filled spaces move through approximately one-half of their circular path, second means for feeding each of the rack-like supporting frames in the direction of said toothed disk at a speed such that the peripheral gaps of a supporting frame come into momentary overlapping relation with said spaces of said toothed disk to permit clusters of tobacco leaves to freely move from said spaces of said toothed disk into said peripheral gaps of said supporting frame, third means for forcing the tobacco leaves to remain in said peripheral gaps of said supporting frame and to emerge from the departing spaces of said toothed disk.

4. Machine for clamping clusters of tobacco leaves in the uniformly spaced peripheral gaps of a toothed, rack-like supporting frame comprising, transport means including a drum member for conveying tobacco leaves, drive means for imparting a substantially uniform speed of movement to said transport means, a toothed disk mounted to said drum member for rotation by said drive means, said toothed disk including a plurality of spaced teeth providing a respective space between any two adjacent teeth adapted to receive therein a cluster of tobacco leaves conveyed by said transport means, first means positioned to cooperate with said toothed disk for introducing tobacco leaves conveyed by said transport means into said spaces of said toothed disk and retaining such tobacco leaves therein during such time as these tobacco leaf filled spaces move through approximately one-half of their circular path, second means for feeding the rack-like support-ing frames in the direction of said toothed disk at a speed such that the peripheral gaps of a sup porting frame come into momentary alignment with said spaces of said toothed disk to permit clusters of tobacco leaves to move from said spaces of said toothed disk into said peripheral gaps of said supporting frame, third means for forcing the tobacco leaves to remain in said peripheral gaps of said supporting frame and to emerge from the departing spaces of said toothed disk, and a receiving table for supporting incoming supporting frames carrying clusters of tobacco leaves.

5. Machine according to claim 4 wherein said first means include a disk member operatively connected with said drive means, a shoe member arranged to overlie said toothed disk, and means for imparting vibratory movement to said shoe member.

6. Machine according to claim 5 wherein said first means further include rod means extending along opposite faces of said toothed disk from approximately the point of infeed of said tobacco leaves into the spaces of said toothed disk to approximately the point of departure of said tobacco leaves from said last-mentioned spaces.

7. Machine according to claim 6 wherein said first means also includes a band member cooperating with said drum member of said transport means to maintain proper orientation of said tobacco leaves.

8. Machine according to claim 4 wherein said second means comprises a gear meshing with the rack-like supporting frames to advance the latter at a speed substantially corresponding to the peripheral speed of the teeth of said toothed disk at their pitch circle.

9. Machine according to claim 8 wherein said second means further comprise a feeding drum for said supporting frames, an arm member provided with a pressure roller for acting upon said supporting frames from above in downward direction.

10. Machine according to claim 9 wherein said second means further includes a plurality of small rollers mounted to be freely rotatable.

11. Machine according to claim 4 wherein said third means comprises at least one rod member extending in a plane situated approximately adjacent the plane of the outermost frontal surface of said toothed disk, said rod member including a curved portion merging with l3. substantially linear portion situated adjacent the location at which the teeth of said toothed disk overlie the teeth of a toothed, rack-like supporting frame.

12. Machine according to claim 4 wherein said receiving table is provided with switch means adapted to be actuated by a supporting frame for bringing the machine to standstill.

13. Machine for clamping bundles of tobacco leaves in the uniformly spaced peripheral gaps of a supporting frame provided with spaced teeth comprising, in combination, an endless conveyor belt, a drum about which said conveyor belt is guided at a uniform speed, a toothed disk provided with spaced pointed teeth arranged at one frontal face of said drum and connected for rotation with said drum, the base circle of said teeth of said toothed disk lying at least approximately on the same circle as the outer surface of said drum, first means for introducing the tobacco leaves supplied by said conveyor belt in bundle form into the spaces between said pointed teeth of said toothed disk and then retaining such tobacco leaves in such spaces during such time as said spaces move through approximately one-half of their circular path of travel, second means for advancing a supporting frame with the same speed as the peripheral speed of said teeth of said toothed disk at their pitch circle, said second means ensuring that the peripheral gaps of said supporting frame in the region of the toothed disk temporarily overlap with the spaces of said toothed disk in such a manner that the tobacco leaves can be clamped with their stems in bundle form in the peripheral gaps of the supporting frame, third means for forcing the clamped tobacco leaves to remain in the peripheral gaps of the supporting frame and to emerge from the departing spaces of the toothed disk, and a receiving table for supporting the incoming supporting frames and the tobacco leaves fixedly clamped to the latter.

14. Machine according to claim 13 wherein said first means includes a member arranged directly above said toothed disk adapted to execute a vibrational movement in a direction which approximately corresponds to the infeed direction of the tobacco leaves, and stationary mounted rod means which extend in the region of the aforesaid one-half circular path of travel of said spaces of said toothed disk.

15. Machine according to claim 13 wherein said second means include a gear provided with teeth which are complementary to the teeth of the supporting member, means for driving said gear with a peripheral speed equal to 15 means includes at least one stationary rod member which extends through the major portion of its length in a plane which is located directly adjacent a plane containing the outermost frontal face of the toothed disk rotatably connected to said drum, said stationary rod member further extending along the path of travel of the marginal edge of an advancing supporting frame provided with said peripheral gaps and located upon said receiving table.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,862,192 Michaux June 7, 1932 2,327,252 Dickerson Aug. 17, 1943 2,949,919 Johnson Aug. 23, 1960 FOREIGN PATENTS 236,008 Switzerland June 1, 1945 

1. MACHINE FOR CLAMPING TOBACCO LEAVES IN THE RECEIVING GAPS OF A SUPPORTING FRAME COMPRISING, TRANSPORT MEANS FOR CONVEYING TOBACCO LEAVES, DRIVE MEANS FOR IMPARTING A SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORM SPEED OF MOVEMENT TO SAID TRANSPORT MEANS, A TOOTHED DISK MOUNTED FOR ROTATION, SAID TOOTHED DISK INCLUDING A PLURALITY OF SPACED TEETH PROVIDING A RESPECTIVE SPACE BETWEEN ANY TWO ADJACENT TEETH ADAPTED TO RECEIVE THEREIN TOBACCO LEAVES CONVEYED BY SAID TRANSPORT MEANS, FIRST MEANS POSITIONED TO COOPERATE WITH SAID TOOTHED DISK FOR INTRODUCING TOBACCO LEAVES CONVEYED BY SAID TRANSPORT MEANS INTO SAID SPACES OF SAID TOOTHED DISK AND HOLDING SUCH TOBACCO LEAVES THEREIN DURING SUCH TIME AS THESE TOBACCO LEAF FILLED SPACED MOVE THROUGH APPROXIMATELY ONE-HALF OF THEIR CIRCULAR PATH, SECOND MEANS FOR FEEDING EACH OF THE SUPPORTING FRAMES IN THE DIRECTION OF SAID TOOTHED DISK AT A SPEED SUCH THAT THE RECEIVING GAPS OF A SUPPORTING FRAME COME INTO MOMENTARY ALIGNMENT WITH SAID SPACES OF SAID TOOTHED DISK TO PERMIT TOBACCO LEAVES TO FREELY MOVE FROM SAID SPACES OF SAID TOOTHED DISK INTO SAID RECEIVING GAPS OF SAID SUPPORTING FRAME, THIRD MEANS FOR URGING THE TOBACCO LEAVES TO REMAIN IN SAID RECEIVING GAPS OF SAID SUPPORTING FRAME AND TO EMERGE FROM THE DEPARTING SPACES OF SAID TOOTHED DISK. 